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Identify the failure layer before changing files
Do not begin by reinstalling every mod. First classify what you can observe. The location of the failure determines which files, launch settings, and machines need attention.
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| What you see | Most likely layer | First check |
|---|---|---|
No new BepInEx/LogOutput.log after a restart |
Loader startup or launch path | Confirm the host toggle, server root, entry point, and launch script. |
| A log exists, but no plugin-loading lines appear | BepInEx preloader or plugin discovery | Check the pack’s core files, folder layout, and console output. |
| The server starts, then crashes or hangs while loading | Plugin load | Temporarily remove all files from BepInEx/plugins and restore them in groups. |
| Players are kicked with an incompatible-version message | Connection handshake | Compare the server and every client profile, including companion DLL versions. |
| The connection succeeds but items, recipes, creatures, or progression are missing | Mod scope or in-game behavior | Install content mods on both the server and all participating clients. |
| The problem began immediately after a Valheim update | Game/loader or mod compatibility | Check the current BepInEx pack and each mod’s release before changing save files. |
| The server process does not appear to start on Windows | Process launch or security interruption | Check the host’s process output and whether security software blocked valheim_server.exe. |
1. Prove that BepInEx actually loaded
A DLL copied to a server directory does nothing unless the BepInEx loader is running. The log test is the quickest way to distinguish an inert installation from a bad plugin.
- Stop the dedicated server completely. Wait until the server process has exited rather than merely closing a control panel window.
- Delete
BepInEx/LogOutput.logfrom the server installation. - Start the server using the method you normally use for play.
- Open the same
BepInEx/LogOutput.logpath. A fresh file means the loader ran during this start. The Valheim-Modding Wiki describes the log as being overwritten on a successful startup. - Search the new file for lines in the form
[Info : BepInEx] Loading [ModName 1.0.0]. These entries show that BepInEx discovered and began loading plugins.
If no new log is generated, no server mods have loaded. Do not troubleshoot a mod’s configuration, dependencies, or save behavior yet; fix the launch and loader installation first. If the log is new but a particular plugin has no loading line, move to plugin discovery and dependency checks.
2. Correct the server’s launch path
The same game files can behave differently depending on how the process is started. Launching Valheim directly from Steam starts a vanilla game; a mod manager normally attaches BepInEx at launch time. A dedicated server started with the unmodified executable can therefore ignore every DLL you uploaded.
Managed hosting: enable the loader in the control panel
Many managed hosts expose a BepInEx or Valheim Plus switch. Turn that option on before starting the server, and check whether the panel changes the executable, startup arguments, or installation directory. Uploading plugins while the loader toggle is off leaves them inert. After enabling it, perform the delete-log/restart test rather than assuming the setting took effect.
Self-hosted Steam installation: use the complete pack and supplied script
A self-hosted installation needs the full Valheim BepInEx pack placed at the dedicated-server root, not only the BepInEx folder copied into an arbitrary subdirectory. Use the launch script supplied with that pack so the required entry point and arguments are applied. Starting a different copy of valheim_server.exe is a common reason for seeing an old log, no log, or a server that runs vanilla.
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R2ModMan or Thunderstore Mod Manager: verify the headless command
When a manager creates a headless dedicated-server batch file, inspect the server launch line. The modding guide notes that the line may need %* appended so arguments passed to the batch file reach the Valheim server. Without those arguments, the manager can appear configured while the actual process starts without the expected BepInEx parameters. Stop the server, correct the line, and rerun the log test.
3. Decide whether the mod belongs on the client, server, or both
“Installed” is not a single requirement. A mod can be present on a player’s computer and still be absent where its code must execute, or it can be unnecessarily installed on a server where it has no server component.
| Mod role | Typical examples | Where it normally belongs | What a mismatch looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client-only presentation | Interface, camera, and visual changes | Each player who wants the feature; not normally the server | The feature is missing for one player, while the server can still run. |
| Server-required content | New items, recipes, creatures, or progression systems | Server and every client joining that modded world | Kicks, missing content, failed synchronization, or an incompatible-version message. |
| Paired or companion components | A server DLL plus a client companion DLL | Both sides, with the versions required by the mod’s documentation | The server starts, but the feature fails during connection or immediately after joining. |
Use the mod’s Thunderstore tags and documentation to determine its scope. Do not install every client-only visual plugin on the server as a trial; unnecessary DLLs increase the number of possible startup conflicts. Conversely, a content mod cannot be made server-compatible by installing it only on the host.
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4. Make versions and profiles agree
Once BepInEx is proven to load and the correct launch path is in use, compare the actual profiles rather than relying on mod names. A server profile and a client profile can contain files with the same name but different releases, dependencies, or configuration.
- Record the Valheim game version on the server and clients.
- Compare every server-required mod, including dependency DLLs, in the server’s profile and each player’s profile.
- Remove duplicate copies of a DLL from nested plugin folders; the process should load one intended version.
- Check the server log for the expected plugin and version after a complete stop/start, not after a soft reload.
- When a mod supplies a companion library, match the two DLL versions exactly when its documentation requires it.
AdvancedAdminPanel documentation provides a concrete example of this rule: both companion DLLs must be the same version, and the server log should show the companion loading after a complete stop and start. If one client has an older profile, update or roll back the whole required set together; changing only the named DLL can create a second mismatch.
5. Treat Valheim updates as a compatibility event
Iron Gate updates can invalidate the BepInEx pack, an individual plugin, or both. A server that worked yesterday may therefore fail without any configuration change on your side.
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- Note the date and Valheim build when the failure began.
- Check the mod’s current Thunderstore release and its stated game or loader requirements.
- Update the BepInEx pack and the affected mods as a coordinated change, keeping server and client profiles aligned.
- Start the server with an empty or isolated plugin set if the update produced a crash, then add compatible releases deliberately.
- Back up saves before changing mods that write world, character, item, or progression data. Removing or replacing such a mod can leave content references that an older profile cannot interpret.
Do not infer compatibility from a mod manager showing that a file downloaded successfully. The meaningful test is whether the current game build, loader, dependencies, and profile all reach a clean start and a successful connection.
6. Isolate a crashing or blocking plugin safely
If BepInEx starts but the server crashes, freezes, or stops before becoming available, isolate the plugin set instead of deleting files at random.
- Stop the server and copy the existing
BepInExfolder and configuration files to a backup location. - Move everything out of
BepInEx/plugins. Do not permanently delete the files; moving them preserves a reversible baseline. - Start the server with no plugins. Confirm that it reaches the same point in startup and generates a clean log.
- Restore a small group of plugins, restart, and record the result. Keep groups small enough that you can identify the change that reintroduced the failure.
- When the failure returns, divide that group again until one plugin or dependency is implicated.
- Read the BepInEx console and log for exceptions naming a plugin, missing dependency, method patch, or incompatible game assembly.
An error that names a plugin is the best lead, not absolute proof that it is the only cause. Two plugins can patch the same game method, or the named plugin can be reporting a missing dependency. Test the suspect in an otherwise clean profile and then verify its required libraries and release notes.
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7. Repair a missing console, configuration, or log
BepInEx documentation identifies missing core files and a wrong entry point as the most common reasons the loader does not start. Work from the installation outward.
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- Check platform and bitness: use a BepInEx build that matches the game’s operating system and 32-bit/64-bit requirements. A pack for another build can fail before plugin discovery.
- Enable the console: in the BepInEx configuration, set
[Logging.Console] Enabled = true. Restart and inspect the console for preloader or entry-point errors. - Inspect preloader output: errors before the normal plugin list point to core files, assembly loading, or the entry point rather than to an individual mod.
- Repair Steam files: on Steam, a damaged
Managedfolder can prevent startup. Delete the damagedManagedfolder and use Steam’s integrity-verification feature to restore it, then reinstall or reapply the compatible BepInEx pack.
After a repair, repeat the fresh-log test. A console window appearing briefly is not enough evidence; the new log and plugin-loading lines show whether the corrected entry point is being used.
8. Check platform support before troubleshooting deeper
The documented workflow targets the Steam edition of Valheim. Microsoft Store and Game Pass installations do not have a supported path for this BepInEx server-mod setup, and Xbox clients cannot load the same mods. An Xbox player can join a PC server as a vanilla client, but that does not make Xbox-side mod loading available and does not supply server-required content to the console.
If a team mixes platforms, decide which players must use mods before changing the server. A vanilla Xbox client may be able to connect where the game permits it, yet it cannot display or use a modded item, recipe, creature, or progression feature that requires client code.
A clean-room recovery procedure
Use this sequence when several fixes have been attempted and the current installation is difficult to trust.
- Stop the server and back up saves, configuration, and the existing
BepInExdirectory. - Confirm that the installation is Steam-based and that every player who needs client mods is using the supported PC edition.
- Install the complete, game-compatible BepInEx pack at the server root and use its supplied dedicated-server launch script.
- If a managed host is involved, enable its BepInEx or Valheim Plus toggle before starting.
- If a mod manager creates the launch file, verify the headless batch command and append
%*when the manager’s guide requires it. - Delete
BepInEx/LogOutput.logand start once with no plugins. Stop if no fresh log appears; the loader path still needs repair. - With a fresh log confirmed, add only the server-required mods and their exact dependencies. Verify their loading lines.
- Build the client profile from the same releases. Add client-only interface, camera, and visual mods afterward.
- Connect with one test client before distributing the profile to the rest of the group.
- If the clean profile works, restore additional plugins in small groups. If it fails, the last group is the boundary for further isolation.
Prevent the next outage
- Keep a dated copy of the working server and client mod profiles.
- Record the Valheim build, BepInEx pack release, and every server-required mod version.
- Make a complete stop/start part of every update; do not judge a change after a partial restart.
- Keep client-only plugins separate from server-required content so a server deployment cannot accidentally include presentation mods.
- Back up saves before updating or removing mods that write persistent data.
- Retain the previous working pack and profile until the new combination has passed a clean startup and a test connection.
- When a failure follows a Windows security change, check whether
valheim_server.exewas blocked before reinstalling mods.
What the evidence tells you
A fresh BepInEx log is the decisive first branch. No log means the process never reached mod loading, usually because of the launch path, host toggle, missing core files, wrong entry point, or unsupported platform. A valid log moves the investigation to plugin discovery, dependency and version alignment, or a crashing mod. A successful server start followed by kicks or missing content points to client/server scope and profile matching. Following those branches in order prevents the most common mistake: changing plugins when the server is still launching vanilla.
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